Electrically-powered personal mobility vehicles such as “scooters” and wheelchairs are used by many persons to move from place to place in the home as well as in hospitals, grocery stores, malls and other venues with pedestrian traffic. Persons who own such vehicles often wish to transport them by way of a utility or sport utility vehicle.
The typical scooter weights approximately 300 pounds, too much for an ordinary person to lift into or out of a vehicle cargo area without mechanical assistance.
It is known to install a lift mechanism in a vehicle cargo area by means of an assembly which stands on the floor of the cargo area and deploys a lifting strap by way of a powered spool or reel. When mounted in a rear cargo area, this mechanism interferes with the use of floor-based features such as foldaway seats and stowage compartment hatches.